Electrical socket



April 30, 1940. l.. w. COLE ET Al. 2,199,237

ELECTRICAL SOCKET Filed Jan. 6, 1938 CHR/sroP/ER .2'. SMITH. Bg Q Z (Ittomeg Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,199,237 ELECTRICAL SOCKET Louisy W. Cole, New York, and Christopher I.

Smith, Sunnyside, Long Island, N. Y., assignors to Cole Electric Products Co. Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a. corporation'of New York Applicationl January 6, 1938, Serial No. .183,580

5 Olainis.

This invention relates to electrical sockets for plug fuses, lamps, and other electrical connecting or translating devices.

In the socket embodying the present inventionv provision is made for connecting a wire or other conductor to the socket shell externally thereof and for securing said wire in position, in electrical connection with the shell bottom in such manner that it is unnecessary to bend the wire.

One of the objects of the invention is to pro-v struction, to facilitate the assembly of the lseveral parts of the socket, and also to facilitate lthe attachment of the wire to the socket shell;v The above objects of the invention and other objects which mighthereinafter appear will'be fully understood from the followingy description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing. l

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a plan View of the socket madein accordance with one form of the presentinvention; Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-,2 of Fig. 1; j y

Fig;y 3 is a sectional view on the line 343 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing, fin separated relation, a socket shell andparts associated therewith;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another form of the invention; f l

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on'the line' 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawing in greater deo tail, the socket I0 comprises, as here shown, a

center contact 2Bv ofthe shell has a slotted head 28 in position adjacent the shell bottom I8, and

.a screw threaded shank 30 which extends from inside the. shell through opening 22 and into pas ,y `sage v24 for securement with the con-ducting member 32 positioned in a lateral recess 34 in the bottom of housing I2. lSaid recess 34 extends from a point adjacent passage 24 to one side of the housing. Center contact 26'is insulated from shell bottom I8 by a semi-circular insulation disc` 36, the shank 30 of said' center contact member. passingthrough the opening 38 in the :disc and threaded into conducting member 32.

important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of means for facilitating the electrical connectionand mechanical securement of a wire to the bottom I8 ofthe shell externally thereof and in such manner as to obviate any necessity for the bending or other n substantial deformation of the wire. purposevhousing I2 is provided with a lateral passage which extends from one side of the housing in the bottom portion thereof .below the shell -bottom I8 and belowthe bottom 20 of recess'l4. Socket shell I6 has an opening 42 in its bottom I8 offset laterally from opening 22 adjacent the inner end of passage l40 and adjacent the side wall of the shell, opening 44 being For this formed in said side wall of the shell as a continuation of opening 42. -A metal clamping member 45 is positioned below the shell bottom I8 adjacent opening 42 therein and is provided with a clamping portion 46 arranged to engage the bare end48 of a wire 50 which is inserted in and extends into passage 40 in juxtaposition to shell bottom I8 for engagement by clamping mem- 4ber 45 to hold the same firmly in electrical connection with and in mechanical securement 'in relation to shell bottom I8.

The clamping portion 46 is upturned and terminates in a straight end'portion 52 which is positioned in shell opening 22 close to or in engagement with ther straight edge 54 'of saidopening. It will be observed that the straight edge 55I of insulation disc 36 is spaced from the edge 54 of opening 22 a distance only slightly larger than the thickness of edge portion 52 of clamp member 54. It will be observed also that the width of said edge 54 of opening 22 is only slightly greater than the width of edge 52 of the clamping member 45. Clamping member 45 is releasably secured and adjusted by a clamping screw 56 having a slotted head 58 and a threaded shank 6|),

of and shank 65 being threaded into an opening B3 in clamping member 55. It will be understood that the engagement of edge portion 52 of clamping member l5 in opening 22 adjacent edge 5d of the bottom of the shell at said opening opposes outward movement of said clamping member through the lateral opening in the side of the shell when said clamping member is in wire-clamping relation, and it will be further understood that the position of said part 52 of clamping member 45 in said opening 5t prevents turning movement of the clamping member when the adjusting screw is turned for clamping and releasing the wire.

It will be understood that wire 5- is readily connected to the bottom it of socket shell it by inserting said wire through passage lil so that the bare end 48 of the wire is positioned between the bottom of the shell andthe portion 46 of clamping member i5 and so that by tightening adjusting screw 55 said bare end of the wire is securely clamped by member l5 in position against the shell bottom. An opening 5S through the shell bottom I8 permits observation of the end 48 of the wire whereby the proper position of said wire, when connected to the bottom of the shell, may be readilyascertained, viewing the interior of the shell.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the socket, including the housing l2 and the socket shell l5, is of the same construction as that herein described. In this form of the invention, however, provision is made for reinforcing the shell bottom I8. For this purpose there is provided a U-shaped plate 'lll having a relatively Wide connecting portion l2 and spaced portions M. Said portions l2 and 'M lie against the bottom i8 of the shell, being clamped between the latter and the bottom 2G of the housing recess lll by center contact 25 and insulation disk 35. Edge 16 of plate 'l0 between portions 'E4 terminates at the edge 56 of shell opening 22 in position to lie close to or to be engaged by end portion 52 of clamping member 45.

Thus it is seen that the constructions herein shown or described are well adapted to accomplish the several objects of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as here shown and that in the forms of the invention herein disclosed, certain changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made and will readily occur to skilled artisans, particularly in view of the present disclosure. Therefore we do not wish to be limited precisely to the construction herein shown or described, except as may be required within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electric-socket of the class described, a socket shell having a contact member insulated therefrom and provided with means for connecting a wire to the bottom of the shell externally thereof, said shell having an opening in its bottom, a wire-clamping member positioned for adjustment toward and away from said bottom externally of the shell to releasably connect the wire to the shell bottom, a member passing through said opening and engageable with said clamping member for adjusting the same, the adjusting member being accessible for adjustment,v said shell having an opening in its side Wall adjacent said bottom in continuation of said bottom opening, and said adjusting member and clamping member being insertable as a unit in said bottom opening laterally of the side wall of the shell through said opening therein.

2. In an electric socket of the class described, a socket shell having a contact member and provided with means for connecting a wire to the bottom of the shell externally thereof, an insulation member in said shell for insulating said Contact member therefrom, said shell having an openingin its bottom, a wire-clamping member positioned for adjustment toward and away from said bottom externally of the shell to releasably connect the wire to the shell bottom, a member passing through said opening and turnably engageable with said clamping member for adjusting the same, the adjusting member being accessible internally of the shell for adjustment, said shell bottom having a second opening for the passage therethrough of said contact member, and said wire-clamping member having a part projecting into said second opening for preventing turning movement of the clamping member when said adjusting member is turned in engagement therewith for clamping the wire in position.

3. In an electric socket of the class described, a socket shell having a contact member insulated therefrom and provided with means for connecting a wire to the bottom of' the shell externally thereof, said shell having an opening in its bottom, a wire-clamping member positioned for adjustment toward and away from said bottom externally of the shell to releasably connect the wire to the shell bottom, and a member passing through said opening and engageable with said clamping member for adjusting the same, the adjusting member being accessible internally of the shell for adjustment, said shell having an opening in its side wall adjacent said bottom in continuation of said bottom opening, and said adjusting member and clamping member being insertable as a unit in said bottom` opening laterally ofthe side Wall of the shell through said opening therein, said shell bottom having a second opening for the passage therethrough of said Contact member, and said wire-clamping member having a part projecting into said second opening for opposing movement of said clamping memberthrough the lateral opening in said shell when the clamping member is in wire-clamping relation.

4. An electric socket of the class described comprising a housing having a recess therein, a socket shell in said recess, said housing -having a passage positioned below the bottom of said shell and extending transversely thereof for the insertion of a wire into the housing transversely thereof in juxtaposition to said shell bottom externally thereof, said shell having an opening in its bottom, a wire-clamping member positioned for adjustment toward and away from said bottom externally of the shell to releasably connect the wire to the shell bottom, a member passing through said opening and turnably engageable with said clamping member for adjusting the same, the adjusting member being accessible for adjustment, said bottom of the shell having a second opening and said clamping member having a part projecting into said second opening in the bottom of said shell adjacent the edge of the shell bottom at said second opening to prevent turning movement of the clamping member when said adjusting member is turned for clamping the Wire in position.

5. An electric socket of the class described comprising a housing having a recess therein, a socket shell vinsaid recess, said housing having a lateral passage positioned belowthe bottom of said shell for the insertion of a Wire Yinto the housing transversely thereof in juxtaposition to said shell bottom externallythereof, said shell having an opening in itsbottom, a Wire-clamping member positioned for adjustment toward and away from Asaid bottom externallyv of the she11` to releasably `connect the/Wire to the shell bottom, a member passing through said opening and turnably engageable with said clamping member for adjusting the same, theadjusting member being accessible internally of the shell for adjustment," said` clamping member having a part engaging said shell at the edge of said opening for preventing turning of said clamping member when said adjusting member is turned in engagement therewith, said shell bottom having an observation opening in line with said first opening and through Which said Wire is visible, interiorly ofthe shell, when connected to the shell bottom as aforesaid.

l LOUIS W. COLE. y CHRISTOPHER I. SMITH. 

